What remains today are modest sod-covered foundations tracing out a rectangular footprint, measuring roughly 15 metres north to south and 16 metres east to west, with walls about 60 centimetres thick. These earthen outlines are all that’s left of what was once a formidable defensive structure in the Irish countryside.

Local memory preserves more of the castle’s recent history than the stones themselves. According to historian M. A. Timoney, a substantial structure believed to be the remains of a tower house stood on this spot well into the 1970s. Tower houses were the fortified homes of choice for Ireland’s landed gentry from the 15th to 17th centuries; compact, vertical strongholds that combined domestic comfort with military defence. The disappearance of Ballyfahy’s tower within living memory speaks to how quickly Ireland’s built heritage can vanish when left unprotected.

Today, visitors to the site need a keen eye and perhaps a bit of imagination to appreciate what once stood here. The grassy foundations offer a tangible connection to the medieval families who built their lives and livelihoods in this corner of Sligo, whilst the surrounding pastoral landscape remains much as they would have known it centuries ago.